Straightening machine for sheet metal plates



June 20, 1944. F. UNGERER 2,352,040

STRAIGHTENING MACHINE FOR SHEET METAL PLATES Filed Oct. 7, 1940 F 24. 6 my a z I I 1 I Patented June 20, 1944 2,352,040 I I V srnmonrnnme MACHINE non SHEET 4 METAL PLATES 'Friti Ungerer, Pforzheim, Germany; vested in j the Alien Property Custodian Application Octobee 7, 1940, Serial No. 360,151

' In Germany October 2, 1939- I screa (o1. 1sa-54) The invention relates to a machine for,

straightening sheetmetal-plates by means of straightening rolls especially designed for straightening burnished-rolled sheet metal.

Atthe straightening .of sheet metal plates;

especially aluminium plates, the inconvenience is noticed that fine metal particles-are torn. ofi the sheet metal and deposit on the straightening rolls, where they stick and more and more smear the surface. The supporting rollers revolving with the. straightening rolls of the straightening machines of known type equipped with these supporting rollers take-01f from the straightening rolls some of thesexdetached metal particles and are therefor'ealso dirtied', but the -remain-;

ing metal particles are pressed more strongly against the straightening rolls by thesezsu'pporting rollers, so that the straightening rolls are finally, andoften even after a few hours, no longer suitable for the straightening of sheet metal plates which arrive in the straightening machine in burnished-rolled state but must not lose the burnish in this machine. of the sheet, metal'pl'ates becomes duller and of mean appearance when the dirtying of the straightening rolls increases, so that the attendant of the machine must'frequently carry out a thorough cleaning of all straightening rolls and of the supporting rollers, sometimes even every few hours. With this object in view the rollers must be made easily accessible in the machine or removed completely, then" polished againand finally re-'-inserted-into the position in which the straightening of the sheet metal plates can be continued. Hereby stops lasting sometimesseveral hours oc'cur often several times each day, during which stops the straightening rolls and supporting rollers must be re-polished.

for instance by means of. finest emery'cloth. If

this time-wasting work'is' carried out when the rolls and rollers are in the machine, it may happen that emery particles and polish dirt get into the machine and notonly damage the bearings but also the material to be, straightened if the impurities get at thesepoints. When the straightening rolls and supporting rollers are removed from the machine for re-polishing, the time for removing and re-insertion is also lost. v

In the course of time the diameters of the straightening rolls and supporting rollers further become shorter by these treatments, so that the rolls and rollers must be replaced.

These inconveniences are obviated by the invention.

The surface- The novelty consists the arrangement of flaps, strips, plates or blocks of cloth, felt or similar material at least along that portion of the running surfaces of the straightening rolls which is used for the straightening, so that the cloth is pressed against the rolls or can be pressed on during the straightening.

The sheet metal plates straightened by rolls which are permanently kept clean in the manner described preserve the burnish produced by the burnished-rolling, and it is not at all necessary to freshly re-polish the rolls and rollers in the meantime.-

, It has further been found that the system of supporting rollers can be omitted, and replaced by a supporting device which not only keeps clean the straightening rolls as said materials bear against or are pressed onto the straightening rolls, but also supports/directly these rolls, it being immaterial whether these novel supporting means serve merely for 'a stationary supporting, by which the straightening rolls for instance remain directed accurately straight, or whether they serve for an adjustable supporting,

by which a more or less'strong bending of the straightening rolls towards the material to be straightened can take place.

The supposition, that the said materials might not be sufiiciently yielding and wear-proof as supporting means, has not been confirmed. by experiments. A hard felt block, for instance, is capable of carrying out the necessary supporting or straightening pressure resulting therefrom during the straightening of aluminium or like metal plates where less setting work and also less straightening pressure are necessarythan during the straightening of plates of .ironor steel. For the latter, especially for steel plates, the novel supporting means disclosed herein are not suitable. They are, however, especially suitable for machines, in which burnished sheet metal plates are completely straightened, distended and smoothed. This kind of sheet metal plates is already comparatively well rolled, so that often one single passage through the straightening machine is suificient. The'stretching must then also be Very slight, as otherwise, owing to the alteration of the surface structure and of the displacing of the metal particles, the burnish gets more or less dulled. The new supporting means can perfectly stand the little straightening work which is thus to be effected.

Two embodiments of the invention, according to which the cleaning means for the straighteningrolls is at the same time the direct supporting means for the same, are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 shows in front elevation a straightening machine with supporting device according to the first embodiment of the invention,

Fig, 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 shows in front elevation a plate straightening machine with supporting device according to the second embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the lower set of straightening rolls with supporting device a'ccording to the second embodiment of the invention. i

On the base box I of the plate straightening machine the uprights 2 are arranged one at each end. The bearing bodies 3 of the lower set of straightening rolls 5 and the bearing bodies 4- of the upper set of straightening rolls 6 aremounted in the uprights 2. The bearing bodies 4 of the upper set of straightening rolls 6 hang in knownmanner on a yoke, not shown, extending over the whole machine and adapted to be lifted and lowered by the rotating of corresponding hand'wheels, andthis yoke may also be inclined. The supporting of the lower set of straightening rolls 5 is effected by means of a great number of supporting beams l or M, arranged closelythe one at the side of the other in the direction of the length of the straightening rolls 5, said supporting beams being carried at two points by supporting spindles 8, and the set off part 9 of said spindles is located in the adjusting rings In and II and in a bore of the base box I. ing rings Ill and H rest the one on the other so that, when the rings are mutually turned, these faces lift or lower the spindles 8 and therefore the beams 1 or I4 respectively. The supporting device in both embodiments of the invention is consequently adjustable, the lower adjustingring' I I resting on the base box I being secured against turning, whereas the upper adjusting ring l can be slightly turned from one side of the machine by means of a system of levers not shown in the drawing. The pitch of the helical faces of" the rings Ill and II is dimensioned so that, at a corresponding turning of the upper ring, the pitch is sufficient to effect the necessary lifting and lowering of the supporting beams I or H. and therewith the desired bending of the straightening rolls towards and away from the material to be straightened.

In this lifting and lowering of the upper rings I 0 participate, according to the first embodiment of the invention shown in Figs, 1 and 2; strips I2 of cloth,- felt or hard felt, placed one strip on points, but their surface is continually cleaned from the deposited metal particles which stick in the strip l2 of cloth or felt and do no longer rotate with the straightening rolls '5, as-has been the case up to the present.

In the first embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 2. the strip ll of cloth or felt is located in indentations the depth of which depends on the thickness of the straightening rolls, these indentations forming undulations in the supporting beam 7 and therefore imparting to the strip l2 an undulated shape. Instead of single' strips l2, which are in'. contact the one with Helical faces of these adjustthe other at their edges and have a width equal to that of the supporting beam 1, plates or carpets may be placed on the beams l and extend over some or, if desired, over all beams l. The elasticity, even of hard felt, is so great that,

without getting damaged, it can stand the slight instead of the strip l2 or the plate, and in this block indentations for accommodating the straightening rolls are provided. This block I5 is not so stiff that it could not be pressed more strongly against the straightening rolls 5 at cer- 'tain'points than at other points.

According to the kind of sheet metal plates to be straightened, the strips I2, the carpet or block l5 will, in one or several weeks, be full of detached metal particles, so that they have to be exchanged for fresh ones. This is effected simply and quickly by lowering the beam 1 or M respectively, removing from the beams the dirty inserts l2- or,.l5 of cloth orfelt; and replacing the same by fresh or cleaned inserts.

Instead of the adjusting elements. 8, 9, l0, and II of the supporting device, any other suitable devices, may be used.

- nal direction of the straightening rolls, and cloth elements in the form of flaps, strips, plates or blocks arranged on said beams extending along and pressed against that portion of the running faces of said straightening rolls which isused for the straightening, in order to remove from said straightening rolls metal particles detached from the sheet metal plates during the straightening.

2. Straightening machine for sheet metal plates, comprising in combination with the straightening rolls, transverse supporting beams placed closely beside each other in the longitudinal direction of thestraighteningrolls, said beams having indentations one for each straightening roll, and cloth elements in said indentations extending along and pressed against that portion of the running faces of said straightening rolls which-is used for the straightening, in order to remove from said straightening rolls metal particles detached from the sheet metal plates during the straightening.

3. Straightening machine for sheet metal plates, comprising in combination with the straightening rolls, transverse supporting beams placed closely beside each other in the longitudinal direction of said straightening rolls, and pieces of cloth one on each beam and fixed on both ends of said beam so that the lateral edges of-the adjacent strips adjoin.

4. Straightening machine for sheet metal plates, comprising in combination with the straightening rolls, transverse supporting beams placed closely beside each other in the longitudinal direction of said straightening rolls, and cloth elements undulated so that one undulation can hold one of said straightening rolls one cloth element on each beam and fixed on both ends of said beam so that the lateral edges of the adjacent strips adjoin.

5. Straightening machine for sheet metal plates, comprising in' combination with the straightening rolls, transverse supporting beams FRITZ UNGERER. 

